Ground broken
for powwow arbor
Yvonne Irene Gladue, Sweetgrass Writer, Siksika
Neither rain, wind, snow, sleet, nor heat will hinder powwow
competitors in Siksika anymore, with the building of a $2.3 million
powwow arbor. The sod breaking ceremony took place on March 13
at the Centennial grounds.
Jack Royal, the director of Capital Projects and Initiatives
of Siksika Nation, said that despite the cool weather, more than
50 people attended the ceremony, including local media, Elders,
contractors and dignitaries.
The structure will be situated close to the rodeo grounds and
the baseball diamond. Royal said the arbor is designed so that
it can be an open-air arbor as well.
"It can be an enclosed arbor, but it can also be opened.
There are going to be big garage doors so if we want it closed
we can and if we want it opened we can also have that choice,"
he said. "The grand opening will be held the first weekend
in August, which is the August long weekend, and our powwow is
actually that following weekend," he said.
The community was asked to enter a contest with suggestions on
a name for the structure, he said, and the new name is underwraps.
The arbor committee has reviewed the names submitted and recommended
the top three.
"They will be going into council and the decision will be
made this month, then we will have an official name for the arbor,"
Royal said.
"In the past, powwows held outdoors were moved into the
local community hall during a rain fall, so we had to change
the powwow location to the community centre. That was if the
weather was really bad, but if it wasn't then the people had
to sit through the rain," he said.
"We are proud to be having the new arbor in our community.
We are hoping to eventually host powwows there on a national
level and we are hoping that it will help build and support our
culture and hopefully attract some of the tourism in the province
as well," he said.
"Professionally, we are on schedule and we are within budget
and we are making an effort to employ our members as construction
workers. I think that it is going to be beneficial, not only
as in enhancing our community, but it will also help us to maintain
our Aboriginal culture for the future. It is a positive move,"
he said.
The Siksika Nation welcomes the First Nations communities to
participate in the grand opening festivities in August or in
any of the powwows that will follow, said Wesley Water Chief,
publicist for chief and council of the Siksika Nation.
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Business a run(a)way
success
Shari Narine, Sweetgrass Writer, Lethbridge
When she was eight years old, Gerri Many Fingers sewed her
first dress. It required buttons or a zipper and unable to do
that, she used safety pins creatively.
Fasteners, gleaned from garage sales and flea markets, are now
a trademark of Many Fingers' work.
In April, Many Fingers returned to the University of Lethbridge
to oversee a fashion show of her designs as part of Native Awareness
Week.
It was at the University of Lethbridge that Many Fingers got
her start when, in 1982, she was asked to display her designs.
From there, orders took off and Many Fingers was able to focus
exclusively on outerwear for men and women.
"I've been in business long enough that people call me,"
said Many Fingers, whose one outlet is at the White Eagle Gallery
at the T'suu Tina reserve near Calgary. She has been approached
by others, who want to carry her line, but "I'm too involved
with my life to do more," she said.
Many Fingers' "life" is in part her efforts to get
funding for social housing and abused women's housing on the
Kainai nation, as well as in the city of Calgary. Indeed, her
work in Calgary in this area garnered her a YWCA's Woman of Distinction
award in 1994.
While her clothing is no longer her full-time endeavour, she
has an impressive list of people who can boast owning a Many
Fingers' creation.
She was commissioned by the Alberta government to produce matching
white buckskin coats for Prince Charles and Princess Diana, as
well as a coat for the ambassador of Mexico.
Actor Robin Williams purchased two coats from her when he was
in the Waterton area filming "What Dreams Are Made Of"
and his producer bought the jacket off of Many Fingers' back.
Arguably the most famous person to own a Many Fingers' creation
was prime minister Pierre Trudeau. Trudeau was on the Blood Reserve
for an official opening in the 1970s. He spotted Many Fingers
wearing a buckskin dress and asked her where he could get a buckskin
coat. Many Fingers made Trudeau a jacket with fringes.
She sold the jacket to him for about $500. Today her creations
sell for no less than $1,200. A full-length white leather coat
with blue fox trim is her most expensive item at $2,000.
While Gerri Many Fingers was surprised at the way her business
took off, she is not surprised at the consistency of her sales.
"Because my coats are well made, they have a certain flair
to them and my prices are right," she said.
While Many Fingers knows how to buy and sell, she hasn't lost
touch with the spirit of her business.
"I believe that the coats are so close to our culture that
I only make six per design, so that people feel they have one
of a kind.
"People like to be treated special. You just treat people
the way you want to be treated," said Many Fingers.
And that treatment extends to the models who show off Many Fingers'
work.
"The thrill of having fashion shows is not necessarily showing
my coats but watching the girls who are modeling. It just develops
their self-esteem. That's what I enjoy the most. For some of
them it gives them the start for serious self-esteem," said
Many Fingers.
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